Seattle Noir

If the 14 entries in Akashic's rainy city noir volume were school compositions, a teacher would likely assign mostly As and Bs and nothing below a C. Colbert has assembled stories that reflect Seattle's ethnic diversity (Native American, East Indian, Chinese, Latino, etc.) as well as tales from its rough past to its glory days of Boeing, Starbucks and Microsoft. Notable selections include Colbert's “Till Death Do Us...,” featuring 1940s PI Jake Rossiter, and G.M. Ford's wry “Food for Thought,” but two of the best come from nonmystery writers, Bharti Kirchner's disturbing “Promised Tulips” and Kathleen Alcalá's stark “Blue Sunday.” Brian Thornton's “Paper Son” provides a seamy look at corruption and vice in Seattle's Chinatown in the late 1800s. Patricia Harrington's “What Price Retribution?” demonstrates that people may be homeless, but they aren't necessarily helpless. Other contributors include Robert Lopresti, Skye Moody, Simon Wood and R. Barri Flowers. (June)